Before long Sam’s play house look spectacular. Joan ties a huge red ribbon across the door in a huge bow. We’re beginning to move the entire Christmas tree with its huge stack of presence, each person in the family got the other one present each. But Sam has a very large family. When we finish Sam’s living room is half full presence. I guess we did over estimate the size of the room or underestimate the number of presence.
Joan has a few bags of bows and she’s going to leave a trail from where the Christmas tree was to where it is. That will make it a little like when the Grinch stole Christmas. We’ll keep the smoke machine on to hide Sam’s play house and the entire family will meet Sam on her new porch. We have a huge fan that would blow way the smoke and reveal Sam’s house, with the family waiting on her.
This will be a Christmas no one in the family will forget.
Everything is ready, and Daniel and I go back into my home to take a shower and redress, he goes off to grandma’s suite and would use her bathroom. At half hour later we were both ready and we’ll share a ride to the restaurant.
Pulling out I noticed the difference in the appearance of the place, at the first of this year I hardly had any neighbors just the Edward’s house, the nineteen twelve house, which was unoccupied. Now I have Marshall and Misty Thurgood, Joan Thurgood she took the judge’s name too, Michelle Collins Sam’s aunt MC and favorite writer, the bridge to Alyssa’s cottage, and now Daniel and Kara’s home. Yes this place is changing a lot, but I like each and every one of the changes.
Parking near Bobby’s and Mary’s restaurant, we walk in to join Kathryn, Sam, Kara, Helen and Mom. Sam seeing me comes to the door runs and jumps into my arms. Smiling brightly she asks, “I missed you Daddy, did you miss me too?”
Giving Sam a good squeeze I say, “I did miss you my Princess.” Letting her grandpa have a hug, I take my opportunity and give Kathryn a warm hug too. At over six months Kathryn definitely showing even if she were trying to conceal it. No sooner than I hug Kathryn than Amanda gives me a kick too, cause me to ask, “I didn’t hug you too tight?”
Kathryn giggles, “No, she’s just excited that her Daddy is here too.”
Rubbing my hand on Kathryn’s belly I say, “I missed you too Amanda.”
Kathryn giggles as the baby goes still. “You calm her down so easily.”
Dinner is good like always at Bobby’s and Mary’s place. I leave hundred dollar tip on the table. Wishing them Merry Christmas on the way out, Mary stops me, hands me a large cake in a box she says, “It’s special for your Christmas dinner. Thanks to you we will have a Merry Christmas.”
On the way back to my SUV I can’t help but notice how happy everyone seems to be on the street. Daniel notices it as well and remarks, “It doesn’t look like it’s just me this year.” A few are busily getting the last of the Christmas shopping done. With only today in half a day tomorrow they’re cutting it close.
When we arrived home, Daniel is a little reluctant to get out. He is guessed that we are going to throw him a bachelor party. We have one it just doesn’t have any strippers or alcohol, most of the family is still too young to drink anyway. Kara has told us that Daniel didn’t want a raunchy bachelor party. We set there and share a lot of stories, just before dark grandma shows up. I expected her sooner. I tell her, “We are having welcome to the family party for Daniel here.”
Grandma joking says, “I could flash him my tits.”
Daniel chuckles, “Grandma it’s not that type of party.”
We still managed have a pretty good time, hanging out and listening to some of grandma stories. About ten I call Kathryn to wish her good night, Sam was still up so I wished her a good night too. They both said they were having fun but missed me. I tell them the same thing that I miss them as well.
Sleeping by myself was harder to do and it took me nearly to 2 AM to fall asleep. My alarm was set for very early in the morning and when it went off I reluctantly got up. Not having to wait for the bathroom I quickly took a shower and dress and took the vacuum cleaner out to Sam’s play house. I vacuumed the floor clean where we had been walking in and out so often carry in the presence in. It didn’t take long to fill the vacuum and I had to empty it twice of the sand trapped in Sam’s carpet.
I decided to do another project for the spring to put in a walk way to Sam’s door. I have only three projects for the spring, a new stable, the picket fence and walk way for Sam’s play house.
I’m finishing clean up when Daniel comes through the doorway with grandma. Daniel sees the vacuum cleaner in my hand and I just shut the motor off when they came through the door. Daniel chuckles, and grandma says, “The money hasn’t changed you a bit. You still do the simple things when they are needed.”
Chuckling I say, “No job is unworthy of being done, they are only unworthy people who think that a job or wealth is a person’s worth.”
Daniel chuckles, “That’s an interesting saying. Where have you heard it before?”
I shrugged my shoulders and say, “I don’t ever remember hearing it before, it’s something that makes sense to me.”
Grandma says, “That is actually something my Grandfather would say a long time ago. Of course he was normally mucking out stables when he would say something like that. He was reminding my Uncle George that he was no better than anyone else, which was our George’s Grandfather.” Grandma gives me a hug and kiss. Then she continues, “You do remind me of Grandfather in a lot of ways.”
I say, “From what I’ve been able to find out about him he was an extraordinary person. He cared more for people than money. He would give people credit that honestly didn’t have any way of paying it back. That worked for him because he was so well loved.”
Grandma giggles and says, “He was well loved. Not because he gave credit, he loved those people and they would do anything for him.”
Daniel chuckles and says, “JJ, that’s one more thing you have in common. People realize you do things for them because you care. You keep spreading happiness, and people are beginning to follow your example. More than a few people discovered that bringing happiness to others is a great way of bringing it to yourself.”
Grandma giggles with twinkle in her eye she says, “As far away from you as I was, my neighbors called me and asked to find out if you were okay after the robbery. Even just a few times you met them you made a big impression on them. They were genuinely worried, and then relieved on the news that you were okay.”
Daniel chuckles for a moment then says seriously, “JJ that’s one thing is going to take getting used to, once people find out I’m going to be your brother-in-law they keep asking me questions about you. It’s not that I mind them asking, sometimes I don’t have the answer.”
Because of his seriousness I suppress my laughter then I tell him, “Daniel if you need to know anything about me, just ask. There’s not much I have to hide, especially from our family.”
Daniel asks, “Really, all I have to do is ask?”
We spent an hour talking as we touched up little things that needed cleaning or painting. All the questions he asked, it almost felt like a news interview. Grandma even had a few comments in a few questions. As we finished we had just enough time to get ready for the wedding.
I explained to them, I attended on keeping Sam and Kathryn out well past midnight tonight, attending the midnight mass given by Father McCoy. Hopefully Sam should be asleep when I pull into the garage tonight, but if they can start the smoke machine around eleven thirty to conceal Sam’s play house it probably would be a good idea.
Grandma chuckled, “You going to tell Sam that Santa delivered everything into here.”
Chuckling I say, “I was thinking a Grinch came and stole our Christmas.”
Daniel says, “Please don’t traumatize my niece.”
Joan giggles, “Sam has that effect on everybody, and I haven’t met anyone yet who hasn’t fallen in love with her. Every one of JJ’s defense classes are, the people at give a gift ware floored by her.”
Daniel says, “She is so cute, I told Kara I want a house full.”
Grandma giggles, “JJ and Kathryn are going have a huge house full of daughters, if Kathryn is right.”
Joan is looking around and she says, “Sam is absolutely going to love this. This has to be the biggest play house I’ve ever seen.”
Daniel chuckles and says, “After talking with the family finding out that JJ and Kathryn, Kara and I, Marshall and Misty, all want large families, and Sam wants to be the big sister to all of them. Sam’s place will give her what she wants, a place that she can play with her little sisters and cousins.”
I tell Joan, “Her mother had a smaller play house in Washington State when she was a little girl. Sam was playing in it when she was at her grandmother’s. Sam asks if I can bring it out, but it is so old that it wouldn’t survive the trip. It’s the only thing that was there that Sam wanted that I couldn’t bring.”
Daniel says, “JJ had me make designs for this house for Sam. I did it just like I did for your Mom. The day that Sam was with Kara and me, I even asked a few questions about her old playhouse and Sam told me a lot of things. That’s why there’s a water closet in this one. The sink works and even has hot water. There’s a bedroom where she can sleep if she wants to take a nap without leaving. That’s one thing she liked about the other it had a daybed she would use. See the monitors on the wall, JJ can access them through the Internet and use either a laptop or a Webcam and broadcast to them. There’s hidden cameras that watch everything going on in here. JJ’s going to share the video with the rest of the family, so we all can keep an eye on the kids here.”
Joan giggles, “You’re going to give them a sense they are independent, when actually being watched.”
I say, “Guarded, not spied upon. Remember all the kids will be sons and daughters of very wealthy people. We need to make sure they’re safe.”
Joan says, “We better hurry and get Daniel to the wedding, or they may not be any kids for him.”
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